Extensible tank



`uly 4, 1961 F. L. MURDocK, sR

EXTENSIBLE TANK Original Filed Aug. 19, 1957 l.llllllllllllll'lml.llllllllll` www2/,9,

INVENTOR. //es/L A40/m652- arent tice Patented `Fully 4., i961 This Vinvention relates to portable receptacle construcjtion and more particularly, to a collapsible fluid-receiving tank which may be readily transported in its collapsed `condition and then erected in an up-right position ready for immediate use in a short period of time.

The collapsible tank herein presented is especially ladapted for use by oil well cleaning and reconditioning ,contractors wherein it is necessary that they have available a large, capacity liquid tank and which may be collapsed and transported from well to well in a minimum fof time and at a relatively small cost.

, As` the producing life of a flowing or pumping well is extended, the rate of production will be reduced at a rate commensurate with the reduction of reservoir pressure and gas depletion, the amount of caving that has occurred, the restriction of sand drainage which is caused by deposition of paratlin and other residues on the surfacesof the well pores, and the proximity of salt water.

vMany of these factors can be overcome and remedied by cleaning and reconditioning of the well and there are many companies now engaged in the full-time occupa- .tion of cleaning and reconditioning clogged and similarly constricted wells which have'ceased to ilow or cannot be `pumped atan adequate rate.

, The `precipitation of mineral salts from oil field water and the deposition of mud, silt, waxy and asphalt Imaterials cause lost production in the oil well and it is frequently necessary to remove paraffin from the well so that it `may be brought back into normal production. The term fparaflin as commonly applied by iield men and oil well operators includes mud, silt, sand, asphalt and some water and mineral matter in addition to natural paratn wax.

. Many types of cleaning and reconditioning operations have been suggested and such processes include blowing the well with dynamite and nitroglycerine, as well as mechanical reconditioning including hailing, sand-pumping, re-drilling, and reaming, but in many instances these processes are completely unsatisfactory and it is more desirable to utilize methods wherein solvents or other fluids are directed into the well casing so as to loosen, dissolve, or otherwise remove -the deposits from the well which are preventing normal flow and which preclude pumping of the oil from the well.

Various liquid methods of cleaning and reconditioning oil wells are known and utilized including introduction of solvents such as hot o-il, kerosene, gasoline or a mixture of gas-oil `and benzine into the well in order to dissolve the paraiinic substanceg'the introduction of steam or hot water into the well casing under pressure, circulating .hot oil or water through the well, as well as the introduction of certain acids into the well between the casing and the tubing. Other methods of a similar nature which Vare utilized, include the introduction of heat-producing chemicals such as sodium hydroxide, calcium carbide and water, and aqueous aluminum compositions into the well.

Manifestly, these methods just referred to involving the utilization of liquids, require that the reconditioning contractors have available relatively large liquid-receiving v'tanks wherein the materials may be stored for ready use `.at the exact moment needed. Such large tanks are frequently not available at the well site and it, therefore,

becomes necessary for the contractor to transport such Y tanks with his equipment. This involves a considerable number of additional vehicles, as well as a number of men which are needed to erect and disassemble sectional tank assemblies. Although the operators could transport one-piece tanks of considerably volume, this has been found substantially impractical because of the fact that it is usually desirable to mount the tanks upon a tractor-trailer and this necessarily limits the over-all height of the tanks which are disposed upon the trucks because of obstructions encountered such as bridges or the like.

It is, therefore, the most important object of this invention to provide a portable tank which is `constructed ofa plurality of normally upright, tubular sections disposed in telescoped relationship and which are adapted to be moved to extended' positions so as to present an elongated, collapsible duid-receiving tank.

It is a further important object of this invention to provide a portable tank of the type described which includes structure for moving the telescoped sections into their extended positions under the influence o-f fluid pressure so that the tank may be erected in a very short period of time.

Another important object of the invention relates to the provision of a collapsible tank as referred to wherein the telescoped sections are movable to and from extended positions with proximal adjacent ends thereof disposed in partial overlapping relationship and wherein there is provided sealing means between the overlapped portions of the sections so as to prevent loss of fluid between the ends when theV tank -is lled with liquid or the like.

Another important object relates to the provision of interengageable means on the partially overlapped portions of the sections which operate to limit the extent of movement of the telescoped sections with respect to each other and which also receive the sealing means therebetween so as to prevent loss of liquid from the tank.

Another important object of the invention relates to structure for moving the telescoped sections into their extended positions and which is located externally of the tank so that if desired, the structure may be utilized to move the sections of a plurality of tanks into their extended positions.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a central, vertical, cross-sectional View of a collapsible, portable tank made in accordance with one form of the instant invention, certain parts being broken away to illustrate details of construction.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the tank illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the tank shown in FIG. 1, the tank being illustrated in its collapsed condition with the inner sections thereof telescoped within the outer section and certain parts thereof broken away and in section to reveal details.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, enlarged, cross-sectional, detailed view of a portion of the tank shown in FIG. 1 and illustrating more clearly the construction of overlapped, adjacent ends of a pair of the sections of the ta FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, enlarged cross-sectional View taken on line 5-5 of FIG. l; and

FIG. 6 is a plan View of a modified form of the instant invention showing a -pair of collapsible, portable tanks.

The preferred form of the invention which is shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 inclusive, comprises a collapsible tank generally designated 10 and which includes a plurality of tubular, upright sections 12, 14 and 16 which are normally disposed in telescoped relationship as shown in FIG. 3, it being noted that section 14 may move into and out of section 16 whilese'ction 12 is reciprocable to and from a position within section 14. The extended positions of sections 12 and 14 are illustrated in FIG. l, wherein it can be seen that vthe lowermost portion 18 f Section 12 partially overlaps the uppermost portion 20 of section 14 and by the same token, the lowermost portion 22 of section 14 overlaps the upper end portion 24 of section 16.

The lowermost end of section -1-6 is closed by a circular bottom wall 26 and an annular channel member 28 is welded to the uppermost end of section 12 on the innermost face thereof. A plurality of radially extending spokes 30 are secured to a central hub 32 and to the innermost face of annular member 28. Secured to the lowermost part of hub 32 is a circular pressure plate 34 and a plurality of angularly disposed bracing members 36 are secured to the lowermost part of annular member 28 and extend radially toward the axis of section 12. An upright tubular sleeve 38 is secured to the innermost ends of members 36 and is located on the vertical axis of section 12.

Means for moving sections 14 and `12 into their extended positions, as illustrated in FIG. 1, comprises structure broadly designated by the numeral 40 which includes a plurality of elongated, tubular members 46, 48 and 50 disposed in telescoped relationship, it being noted that there is a tubular member for each of the sections 12, 14 and 16 respectively.

The uppermost end of tubular member 46 is secured to pressure plate 34 and the lowermost end of tubular member 50 rests on and is secured to bottom wall 26. A plurality of angularly disposed, radially extending brackets 52 are located within section 16 and extend from and are secured to bottom wall 26 and are welded to tubular member 50 so as to support the same on the vertical axis of section 16. An inlet conduit 54 passes through bottom wal-l 26 and communicates with tubular member 50 and a check valve 56 is located in conduit S4 for controlling flow of fluid therethrough. The inside diameter of tubular sleeve 38 is substantially equal to the outside diameter of tubular member 50 and, therefore, when sections 12 and 14 are telescoped within section 16, sleeve 38 operates to maintain section 12 in correct alignment with respect to section 14 during transportation of tank 10.

Outwardly extending annular flanges 58 are secured to the lowermost portions 18 and 22 of sections 12 and 14 respectively, and inwardly extending flanges `60 are welded to the uppermost portions 20 and 24 of sections 14 and 16 respectively. As is clear from PIG. 4, flanges 58 and 60 are substantially triangular in transverse cross section and the angular surface of flange 58 is configured so as to substantially conform with the corresponding surface of flange 60. A sealing ring 62 is provided on each of the flanges 58 and is preferably disposed in a circular groove 64 so that when the annular surfaces of flanges 58 and 60 are brought into proximal relationship, sealing ring 62 is pressed therebetween.

Also, as is evident from FIG. 5, the -lowermost ends of tubular members 46 and 48 respectively are provided with a pair of spaced, outwardly extending circumferential flanges 66 and 68 and the uppermost ends of tubular members 48 and 50 are provided with inwardly extending, circumferential flanges 70. Each of the lower ends of tubular members 46 and 48 is provided with sealing means between flanges 66 and 68 thereof which preferably comprises a series of spaced, circular sealing rings 72 which are disposed in circumferential grooves 74 formed in tubular members 46 and 48 respectively. The rings 72 are of suicient cross-sectional area to engage the innermost face of a corresponding tubular member 48 and 50 and thus preclude leakage of fluid from within structure 40.

As heretofore noted, tank is particularly adapted to be disposed upon tractor trailers or similar type vehicles and inasmuch as it is usually desirable to permanently mount tank 10 upon the bed of the vehicle, an opening is provided in the bed of the truck (not shown) so that conduit 54 may pass therethrough and thereby allow wall 26 to lie flat on the truck bed.

Tank 10 is normally transported in the collapsed condition illustrated in FIG. 3 and after the vehicle has reached the well site and it is desired to move sections 12 and 14 into their extended positions as shown in FIG. 1, fluid under pressure, either air or water, is directed into strueture 40 after check valve 56 has been opened. As pressure builds up within structure 40 and against pressure plate 34, tubular member 46 initially moves upwardly within tubular member 48 until flange 58 on section 12 and flange 66 on tubular member 46 engage the flange 60 and the flange 70 on section 12 and tubular member 48 respectively. When this occurs, continued upward movement of sections 46 and 48 causes section 14 to move upwardly from within section 16 until the flange 58 on section 14 and the flange 66 on tubular member 48 engage flange 60 and flange 70 on section 16 and tubular member `50 respectively. When sections 12 and 14 have been moved into their extended positions illustrated in FIG. 1, check valve 56 is closed and the pressure maintained within structure 40 operates to retain sections 12 and 14 in their extended positions. The use of pressurized fluid to move sections 12 and 14 is particularly convenient because well cleaning contractors have available a large amount of equipment for directing fluids under pressure to desired locations and it is only necessary for such operators to connect their compressing or pumping equipment to conduit 54 and thus quickly move sections 12 and 14 to the position shown in FIG. l. Also, sections 12 and 14 may be quickly collapsed into the telescoped position shown in FIG. 3 by merely opening check valve 56 and allowing the fluid therein to flow through conduit 54 to a point of outlet. The weight of sections 12 and 14 is suflicient to push the fluid out of structure 40 `and the sections 12 and 14 automatically telescope.

Although portable tank 10 has been illustrated and described as being open at the top thereof, it can be appreciated that the uppermost end of section 12 may be closed by any suitable means and that inlet and outlet openings be provided in the top thereof. In lieu thereof, conduit means may also be connected to section 16 adjacent the lowermost part thereof so that fluid material may be direct/ed into and removed from tank 10.

A modified form of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 6 wherein it can be seen that there is provided a pair of portable, collapsible tanks 110, each of which includes a plurality of upright, tubular sections 112, 114 and 116 disposed in telescoped relationship, it being noted that each of tanks is provided with interengageable flange means at those portions normally disposed in partially overlapped relationship when sections 112 and 114 have been moved to their extended positions. Tanks 110 are also provided with a bottom wall (not shown) and a circular top wall 176 at the uppermost end of section 112. Means for moving sections 112 and 114 into their extended positions include a pair of spaced structures which lare located between tanks 110 externally thereof. Each of the structures 140* includes a plurality of tubular members 146, 148 and 150 which are disposed in telescoped relationship and which are essentially of the same construction as tubular members 46, 48 and 50 of tank 10.

A pair of parallel, elongated tie bars 178 are secured to the top walls 176 of each of tanks 110` and also to the uppermost end of a corresponding tubular member 146. Fluid supply conduits (not shown) are connected to each of the structures 140 respectively and when fluid under pressure is directed into the structures 140, tubular members 146 and 148 of each of structures 140 is moved into its extended position and which in turn moves sections '112 and 114 into extended positions similar to the positions of sections 12 and 14 of tank 10. A check valve is also provided in the supply conduits connected to structures 140 to thereby control the flow of fluid thereinto. Operation of structures 140 is similar to the operation of structure 40 of tank 10.

This is a division of my copending application Serial No. 678,833, tiled August 19, 1957, entitled Telescoping Tank, now Patent No. 2,887,243.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to -be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. In portable receptacle construction, a series of collapsible tanks, each including a plurality of upright, tubular sections normally disposed in telescoped relationship, the lower end of the outermost section of each of the tanks being closed, and the remaining sections of each of the tanks being movable to and from extended positions with proximal adjacent ends of each of the sections of each of the tanks disposed in partial overlapping relationship, there being interengageable means on said adjacent ends of the sections for limiting the extent of movement of the remaining sections with respect to each other as the `latter are successively moved to their extended positions; a plurality of tubular, extensible structures disposed externally of the tanks; yand means connecting the structures to the uppermost end of the innermost sections of each of the tanks respectively whereby as iluid under pressure is directed to each of the structures to extend the latter, said remaining sections of each of the tanks are successively moved into their extended positions.

2. In portable receptacle construction a plurality of upright tubular sections normally disposed in telescoped relationship, the lower end of the outer section being closed, and the remaining sections being movable to and from extended positions with proximal iadjacent ends of the sections disposed in partial overlapping relationship, there being interengageable means on said adjacent ends of the sections for limiting the extent of movement of the remaining sections with respect to each other as the latter are successively moved to their extended positions to thereby present a collapsible, elongated tank; structure for moving said remaining sections successively into their extended positions, said structure including a plurality of tubular members normally disposed in telescoped relationship, there being a member for each section respectively and each of said members being at least coextensive in length with its corresponding section with the outermost and innermost members being secured to the outer and inner sections respectively, the members corresponding to said remaining sections being movable to and from extended positions with proximal yadjacent ends of the members disposed in partial overlapping relationship, means between said partially overlapped portions of the members precluding passage of fluid therebetween, and means closing the uppermost end of the inner member; and means communicating with the normally lowermost member for directing iluid thereinto and into the members thereabove under pressure whereby the sections are successively moved into the extended positions thereof under the influence of lluid directed into said members and against said closing means to effect sequential extension of the members.

3. Receptacle construction as set forth in claim 2, wherein said members are provided with interengageable stops on adjacent ends thereof, said interengageable means on said adjacent ends of the sections moving into contacting relationship prior to interengagement of the stops on corresponding adjacent ends of the members.

4. Receptacle construction as set forth in claim 3, wherein said stops include an inwardly extending, annular llange on one of the members and an outwardly extending, annular ange on the adjacent member.

5. Receptacle construction as set forth in claim 4, wherein is provided packing means between each of the members respectively to prevent loss of fluid from the members as fluid is directed thereinto.

6. Receptable construction as set forth in claim 2, wherein said structure is located within said telescoped sections.

7. In portable receptacle construction, a series of eollapsible tanks, each including a plurality of upright, tubular sections norm-ally disposed in telescoped relationship, the lower end of the outer section of each of the tanks being closed, and the remaining sections of each of the tanks being movable to and from extended positions with proximal adjacent ends of the sections of each of the tanks disposed Iin partial overlapping relationship, there being inter-engageable means on said adjacent ends of the sections for limiting the extent of movement of the remaining sections with respect to each other as the latter are successively moved to their extended positions; a plurality of tubular, extensible structures disposed externally of the tanks; means interconnecting the structures to the uppermost ends of the innermost section of the tanks respectively; and sealing means on said sections proximal to inter-engageable means thereon for preventing tlow of fluid material from the tanks between those adjacent ends of the sections of each of the tanks which are partially overlapped when at least one of the remaining sections of each of the tanks has been moved lto its extended position and material introduced thereinto.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,062,983 Mayer May 27, 1913 2,339,997 Larson Ian. 25, 1944 2,367,497 Gruening Jan. 16, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS 380,470 France Dec. 10, 1907 475,862 Germany May 3, 1929 

